During this pandemic time, some of you may have started a new hobby, i.g., cooking, sewing, and reading. Well, that's good, because you could entertain yourself during this uncertain time. 

And have you ever heard about Bookstagram? It's a section on social media (Instagram) where people show and discuss their current favorite books. Though Bookstagram existed before the pandemic, the section gained more popularity during the pandemic. 

Additionally, according to research, actually reading could help your mental health. But how? Based on Medical News Today, reading could help you to reduce your stress. A 2009 study conducted by the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom stated reading can reduce stress levels by as much as 68 percent, even more than listening to music or going for a walk.  

"It really doesn't matter what book you read. By losing yourself in a thoroughly engrossing book, you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world and spend a while exploring the domain of the author's imagination."

"This is more than merely a distraction but an active engagement of the imagination, as the words on the printed page stimulate your creativity and cause you to enter what is essentially an altered state of consciousness," Dr. David Lewis said.

Additionally, reading could also help you sleep better. That's why leave your gadget when it's time for bed and don't mix your working hours with your relaxing time. Since the device could reduce melatonin production in the brain–a hormone that tells us when to sleep. Instead, you could add reading as your bedtime ritual. 

So, some people have said that the Bookstagram community has helped them calm down their minds. The current Bookstagram posts have at least 60 million tags. Isn't it amazing? 

In Indonesia, you could also find your own Bookstagram community, for example, Bookish_Indonesia. The community was founded back in 2016. "We started the community when we set a reading challenge. Our membership is open to the public, and anyone could join us," Kumaila said. Bookish_Indonesia has also set a monthly discussion on Zoom. 

One of its members is y0nea, who shared that she developed a love for books since she was young. "I found that reading is very therapeutic. I have had a passion for reading since I was young," she told The S Media through chat. You could spot that y0nea loves the romance genre; one of her favorite writers is Jane Austen. 

But you don't have to read Jane Austen to be the best Bookstagram. Instead, you could just discuss your passion for comics, cooking books, or just anything. But Bookstagram could help you find the right community, people with the same passion, and, most importantly, stay connected with real people. 

Staying connected with real people might help you to go through this uncertain situation. But that's not all. Reading a book could help you brainstorm on what you should do in life. For example, if you are a writer, you surely need to read many books for inspiration. Indeed, just keep reading.